View full sizeJohn Berry / The Post-StandardJeannette Clark is the new principal at Smith Road Elementary School.

North Syracuse, NY - Smith Road Elementary School principal Jeannette Clark started her first day of work Aug. 26 -- but not at Smith Road.

A construction and renovation project that began in June shut down Smith Road Elementary for the summer. Teachers weren't allowed in their classrooms. And the office staff moved to Roxboro Road Elementary.

Clark began her first day as Smith Road Elementary principal in a temporary office at Roxboro Road Elementary School. But by 11 a.m. that day, she received a call saying the movers would be at Roxboro Road in two hours.

"Frantically we packed things in boxes and moved here (on Aug. 26)," Clark said. She said the office staff had pretty much everything ready to be moved even before the call, but there was still a lot of work to do before students arrived today.

View full sizeJohn Berry / The Post-StandardThe library at Smith Road Elementary School is being renovated.

Classroom furniture and boxes filled the gymnasium and cafeteria, from floor to ceiling, Clark said.

All the tile in the classrooms was removed so that asbestos abatement could be completed this summer.

The main entrance is blocked off so that construction crews can turn what used to be the main offices and health offices into a kindergarten wing. When construction is completed around December 2011 or January 2012, there will be enough classrooms to allow for full-day kindergarten, Clark said. Right now, the North Syracuse school district has half-day kindergarten.

For now, anyone entering Smith Road Elementary must enter the building using the doors in the southeast corner of the school. A hand-written "Main Entrance" sign sits on the grass nearby.

The new main office is in an area that used to be kindergarten classes. Some classrooms now have temporary dividers so two classes can share the room, depending on the number of students, Clark said.

Two classrooms in the back of the school now serve as the temporary library. The main library is under construction. It will be bigger when it reopens, Clark said.

View full sizeJohn Berry / The Post-StandardUrsula Pratt welcomes second graders to the temporary library set up at Smith Road Elementary School on the first day off class. It is also Pratt's first day as the school's librarian. This room is being used while the building's library is being renovated.

A hallway near the gymnasium is blocked off right now. In another four weeks, that hallway reopen but another hallway that connects some kindergarten and first-grade classrooms with the cafeteria will be blocked off so classrooms can be built.

Smith Road first-grade teacher Joanne Kohler said her students will have to walk around the entire building to get to the cafeteria once the hallway closes in about a month.

Renovation plans include upgrading and renovating all mechanical, electrical, plumbing and data systems; adding new classrooms, a new media center, and a new entry area and canopy; and renovating the southeast wing so that an administrative hub in the front of the building can have better visibility and secure access.

Teachers were allowed into their classrooms for the first time Aug. 30. Two days later, kindergarten orientation was held. The entire staff arrived last Thursday. And today the children started school.

"People have gone out of their way to make the place come alive again," Clark said. "What's been done in one week you wouldn't believe. It's been a miracle."

Clark, 41, of Onondaga Hill, was assistant principal at Onondaga Hill Middle School in the Westhill Central School District until this summer. Clark earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the State University College at Oswego in 1991; her master's degree in elementary curriculum from the State University College at Cortland in 1997; and her Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in administration from SUNY Cortland.

Clark taught kindergarten, first and fifth grades in the Auburn city school district, starting in 1992. She taught at Owasco Elementary for about three years, then Casey Park Elementary for a few years before becoming a fifth grade teacher at Onondaga Hill Middle School in 1998.

After earning her CAS, Clark was named assistant principal at Onondaga Hill Middle School in the 2005-06 school year, she said. Clark said she is excited to be principal of Smith Road Elementary because she has a passion for being part of elementary students' lives.

"They (the children) laugh like they mean it," she said. "My favorite part is the kindergarteners' backpacks are bigger than they are."

On the first day of school, Clark stopped to say hi to children in the hallways, on the playground and in the cafeteria during their lunch periods.

All the boxes are now unpacked and the classrooms are kid-friendly, many with rugs and bulletin boards. Clark is quick to give credit to Smith Road's 85 full-time staff, which includes about 50 teachers, for making the start of the school year an easy transition for her and the students.

"The staff has been extremely welcoming, not only to me but to the kids," Clark said. "Putting the construction and renovation piece together with a new principal, we'll have to keep a sense of humor. It's a lot for the staff to handle."

Although some hallways are blocked, Clark said teachers are practicing fire escape routes with students today through Friday. "Next week, we'll pull the alarm," she said, referring to fire drills.

Clark said although it will be a while before the construction is complete, she's confident everyone will "just roll with it" like they did on opening day of school.